Male Pattern Baldness and Risk of Incident Skin Cancer in a Cohort of Men

In a study conducted 7 years ago, researchers examined the association between male pattern baldness and the risk of skin cancer in a cohort of 36,032 participants from the Health Professionals’ Follow-up Study. The study found that male-pattern baldness at age 45 was not associated with an increased risk of melanoma, but was significantly associated with an increased risk of squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) and basal cell carcinoma (BCC). The hazard ratios for the highest category of baldness were 1.33 for SCC and 1.23 for BCC. The study also found significant associations between severe baldness and the risk of melanoma and SCC at the head and neck, particularly the scalp. The conclusion was that male pattern baldness was positively associated with an increased risk of skin cancer, particularly those occurring at the scalp.